He was so good looking. No, scratch that, he looked stunning. His face was sculpturesque with a pair of deep eyes, a pointed nose, a sharp jawline, y lips and two beautiful dimples which always showed up when he smiled.

But inside a perfect appearance stood a total bastard. A real player.

He was always late for work. He skipped weekly conferences just because he didn’t feel like joining. He smoked like a chimney in winter. He brought wine to the office and drank it when working. He casually got caught making out with some others on the rooftop, on the exit staircase or even in the meeting room after work.

But he never got fired. Because he was an undeniably talented graphic designer. His works never failed to amaze his colleagues, the Board of Directors, the clients and even me – the Head of Marketing Department. A marketing campaign would never succeed without the POSM designed by him.

His name was Choi Seunghyun.

A total bastard Choi Seunghyun that I could never like.

~~~

It was the first day of snow in the year. Crystal flakes glided down from the grey sky, blankets of white snow coated the sidewalks and parking cars, making the streets look like a beautiful picture which was often found in a Christmas postcard. Scarves twisted tightly around necks, noses sniffled and turned red, people scooted a little closer to each other, smiled a little more happily and whispered a little more lovingly. It was really the season of love.

Choi Seunghyun came to the office on time this day, with a smug look on his face and a big rose bouquet in his hand.  He smiled flirtatiously at the girls and winked naughtily at the guys when he was walking slowly from the reception desk to his cubicle.

“Everyone see how beautiful this rose bouquet is, don’t you?” Seunghyun raised the bouquet higher than his head.

All the guys and girls responded Seunghyun with a loud and exciting “yes”.

“Well, there’s someone here who is even prettier…” Seunghyun paused a little to show his dimple before continuing. “… And I’m gonna give these flowers to that someone later today.”

The whole office exploded with uproarious laughter and chatter. Everybody was curious about who might be the prettier-than-flowers one that Seunghyun had implied. Guys were starting to argue with each other, girls were smiling shyly with eyes beaming with expectation.

I glanced at the clock impatiently, hoping the hyperness and the chaos would be gone quickly, so I could start working properly. As if God really heard me, Mr. CEO of the company showed up all of a sudden.

“I thought office hour has already started.” Mr. CEO calmly said. He noticed Seunghyun was standing at his cubicle, still holding the rose bouquet up in the air. “And what’s with you this time, Choi Seunghyun?”

Seunghyun bowed his head and flashed a cheeky smile to his boss.

“Good morning, Sir. I’m fine, thank you. Well, I just brought the symbol of beauty and love to our office today.” He pointed at the red flowers in his hand. “And I was planning to give it to a certain someone, hoping that certain someone would understand the feeling from the bottom of my heart. You wouldn’t mind it, would you, Sir?”

Everyone in the office clapped their hands like crazy upon hearing Seunghyun’s cheesy lines.

How could an almost thirty year old man say such sappy words, at a working place, and in front of his boss? I mentally face-palmed and looked at the clock again. The deadline for my new project was coming near and I didn’t want to waste my precious time.

Mr. CEO seemed to be used to Seunghyun’s bull things. He just shook his head and threw a glare at Seunghyun before heading to his own working space.

“Whatever you want, Choi Seunghyun. Just sit your lazy down and get to work already. Everyone, too.”

When the minute hand reached number twelve and the hour hand shifted itself to the position of number three, it meant we got a thirty minute coffee break. And the coffee break had never been expected much like today, when everyone stopped their work and had their eyes on Seunghyun.

I found myself also wanting to know about the person he had implied earlier in the morning, but I had to keep my face straight and glue my focus on the screen in front of me.

What the is wrong with me? Am I also expecting to get the flowers?

I shook my head off the weird thought. Through the corner of my eyes, I could see Seunghyun slowly getting up from his seat, his head turning to the side I was sitting. My breath hitched.

I didn’t know what the contract I was reading was about. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale… I tried to read the terms and conditions of the contract again.

Seunghyun was really walking towards my direction, with the roses in his hand. As the Head of Marketing Department, I had my own and separated working space, with a larger cubicle and no one beside me.

I still got stucked in the first page of the contract.

Keep working, Daesung. I told myself inwardly despite the fact that I wasn’t working at all.

The office had gone from a freaking mess to a complete silence since Seunghyun started moving his feet. It was so quiet that I could hear my own heart beating “thud, thud, thud” inside my chest.<